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Archbishop Eurenic Bryantling of Grandfolk
| death = | race = Human | class = Warrior, later Cleric | title2 = Archbishop of Grandfolk | reign = 761-793 AEKE | predecessor = Archbishop Angórus | successor = Archbishop Calder | religion = }} Archbishop Eurenic Bryantling ( ) or Crown Prince Eurenic of Etrand was the older brother of King Cairbré I of Etrand, eldest son of King Bryant I of Etrand. He was the heir apparent of King Bryant, but circumstances after Bryant's death ensured Cairbré's ascension to the throne, leading to Eurenic's revolt, which in turn led to the former crown prince being blinded and forced to retire to a monastery. As a member of the Frettinoarian Order. He eventually reconciled with Cairbré, which led to him becoming the Archbishop of Grandfolk. Life Early Life Eurenic was born on , as the first son of King Bryant I of Etrand and his wife Queen Mythela of Etrand. He was deemed a strong and healthy child full of energy and willpower - traits his father deemed would make him a good king. As such, Eurenic was given martial education and briefing in administration, while his younger brother Cairbré - the one whose body was deemed weaker - was sent to learn science. It is said that while Eurenic was very close to his father, he was rather distant from both his mother and his younger brother. In fact, it is said that his mother Mythela was bitter towards him for reasons that elude history. While Bryant was proud of his son's physical strength, cunning, energy and willpower, it was noticed by quite a few people that the crown prince was an aggressive fellow, uncompromising and had many qualities people did not desire in a leader: he would bully people who failed to carry out his orders, he would torment several servants, and would even assault civilians who somehow offended him. When he was 18 years old, he almost killed an ordinary peasant woman - the man who prevented him from doing so was Cairbré, who used his magic to choke Eurenic and humiliate him in front of his friends, who then tried to attack the crown prince's younger brother to teach him a lesson, only to be stopped by the city guard. Eurenic was very sociable, but many of his friends had similar unsavoury qualities that he had - being bullies. As Bryant's unexpected and accidental death became more imminent, Eurenic's sadistic bullying began to show even more, and so did his conflict with the more moral Cairbré get sharper. Conflict with Cairbré, Blinding In 744, King Bryant died in a library accident, leaving the throne vacant. It was expected that Eurenic would take the throne, but instead, Bryant's widow Mythela acquired the throne with full legality (de jure, King Bryant was king consort and Queen Mythela was the true monarch, even if in reality Bryant was the de facto ruler of Etrand), only to name Cairbré as her heir and abdicate immediately. Needless to say, Eurenic was enraged, and immediately revolted against the new order, with the intent of overthrowing and killing Cairbré. However, Eurenic could only muster a small minority of nobles to his aid - most of which surrendered immediately after Eurenic's downfall -, while Cairbré could count on the aid of his mother Mythela and the majority of Etrand with her. After Eurenic's ill-fated coup attempt, he was captured and blinded on the orders of Cairbré, then forced to become a monk and join the Frettinoarian Order. The Frettinoarian Order After his failed coup attempt, blinding and forced retirement to monastery in 744, Eurenic became a member of the Frettinoarian Order. Eurenic was forced to make vows of celibacy, work and pray. It is said that it took a lot of effort from the monks to discipline Eurenic, but after he came to trust the monks and realized how much better his life is than before, he surrendered to the teachings of the monastery and became a genuine monk - his eyesight was restored. It was recorded that the restoration of Eurenic's eyesight was a miracle by Titanius, a reward for his faith and recognition of the true way, but many claim that it was either other monks who restored his eyesight via healing magic, or he himself did it through his training. As Eurenic went through a heel-face-turn and came to appreciate the peace and quiet a monk's life gave him, he came to gradually forgive his brother for the cruel act of blinding him. Some historians claim that Eurenic tried to contact Cairbé but Cairbré didn't even want to acknowledge Eurenic's existence - others claim that Eurenic was specifically forbidden from ever attempting to contact Cairbré again after he was blinded. It turned out that Eurenic had more than just physical strength - he appeared to share his talent for magic with his younger brother: under the training of the monks, he became an expert at Clerical Magic at a rate that was deemed impossible before. He became a local legend and a living saint in the eyes of the local villagers, due to his charitable work, helping in physically intensive work, curing the sick, cooking for the hungry and still finding time to spend time absorbing knowledge from books and practising both martial arts and clerical magic. Reconciliation with Cairbré In , both Queen Mythela of Etrand and Archbishop Angórus died, and a monk representing the Frettinoarian Order seeked out King Cairbré, requesting that the king give permission for Eurenic to attend both funerals, arguing that he is a completely reformed man, free of all the vices he has had before he was blinded. Cairbré, while still wary of his older brother who tried to kill him 17 years earlier, reluctantly agreed to let Eurenic attend both funerals. After the Mythela's funeral, Eurenic personally went to Caibré, begging him to let himself be reintroduced to the family, assuring his younger brother that he has given up on the throne and as a man of Titanius, he swears he will not make any attempts on any faithful followers of Titanius, let alone his own brother, the King. Cairbré was shocked by the realization that his older brother was in fact a changed man, completely irrecognisable. Cairbré was finally convinced to let Eurenic back into the family, recognizing him as his brother again. Not too long after both funerals, Eurenic, Cairbré and several Frettinoarian Monks went to Froturn to visit Hierophant Fognaerus, to convince him to appoint Eurenic as the new Archbishop of Grandfolk. The Hierophant agreed. Archbishop of Grandfolk In 761, Eurenic became the Archbishop of Grandfolk. The ascension of an unknown monk - even if he was previously a crown prince - to the title of Archbishop did not sit well with a large number of priests and bishops, who accused the pious king of nepotism. Eurenic continued his predecessor's work by following the King's orders in reducing church corruption, combatting sodomy within the church itself. He wasn't a very popular archbishop among many of the wealthier clergymen, as he requested the excommunication of several high-ranking bishops who were involved in embezzlement and abuse of boys, replacing them with former monks whom he deemed "purer". While early on, if someone accused him of being the King's yes-man, the accusation would have been justified - but as time went, he has grown to have more and more disagreements with the Cairbré. While both Eurenic and Cairbré agreed on banning foreign missionaries, Eurenic was more puritan and wanted to emphasize Titanist orthodoxy and genuine piety, while Cairbré was more involved with outwards display of belief - Eurenic was under the impression that all Cairbré cared about was statistics, to maximize the percentage of Titanist believers in Etrand, compelling him to keep reminding his brother that "religion is about quality, not quantity". While he did agree with Cairbré's new laws that were concerned with child protection, gender equality, outlawing sodomy and child abuse, he had a feeling that Cairbré did not genuinely believe in his own principles, and enforced only to make himself feel better. He felt that it was more about Cairbré's pride and reputation than about genuine piety. While he did agree with burning sodomites, he believed that Cairbré's motivation was not genuine belief that what the sodomites were doing was sin, but more like his ego - he warned the king that he should be true to his principles and reflect on himself. Retirement and Death In 789, King Cairbré died. Eurenic remained archbishop for three more years, until he decided to finally retire, back to the Frettinoarian Monastery. He died three years later. See also * King Cairbré I of Etrand * King Bryant I of Etrand